


Selene

by orphan_account



Series: Ever After [2]
Category: Aldnoah.Zero (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-23
Updated: 2017-05-23
Packaged: 2018-11-03 22:12:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10976370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Days of filtered happiness





	Selene

> "Well, go on, and steel thy heart, wise though thou be, to take up thy burden of pain, fraught with many sighs."- Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica  
>    
> 

* * *

 

 

Inaho could repeat the floor tile patterns on the floor from memory by the end of the day. It wasn’t like that he needed to be there but he felt a deep sense of obligation to stay at Slaine’s side. He’d failed to be there in the past… was it a stretch to call this a surrogate situation for all the nights of guilt spent staring at the hospital out his bedroom window wondering just what Slaine was feeling. Had the scars pained him as much as his eye? When Slaine looked in the mirror did he see winding patterns of ugly, scarred flesh that carved across his body and marked all his sins and -No. Those sins were his own.

Inaho pinched the bridge of his nose and soon after slide his fingers over his cheeks to cover his mouth and shut his eyes against the glare of the hospital lights. He crossed his legs, reaching for his book with his free hand. In an hour and a half, the nurses would tell him visiting hours are over. There was still time to kill, and it wasn’t as if Slaine provided any conversation right now. Obviously, patient in coma couldn’t provide any conversation. Every few minutes he found himself glancing up at the monitor to watch his heart rate and the moon outside. Inaho wondered. Had he lost himself so much that - No, Inaho won’t indulge the notion that he stopped caring. That would mean that Inaho had given up and there was no way Yuki would forgive that since to give up mean to be broken beyond repairs.

“If you’re here to apologize I don’t want to hear it.”

Slaine finally turned his head in his direction, bangs splayed out over the pillow and framing the gentle curve of his face. He was beautiful, Inaho didn’t deny that, and for all his beauty it couldn’t shadow Inaho’s own rotting insides.

“I’m not here to apologize.” Inaho leaned forward on his elbows. “I’m surprised you’re not up ‘kicking my ass half-way to Sunday’, Slaine Troyard.”

“It’s Friday already and I’m too tired. I’ve spent so much time in a hospital it almost feels normal.” Slaine shut his eyes and then shook his head. “I assume from that look you keep giving me you already know.”

“Word gets around and every small information about you will always reported to me.” Inaho shrugs and takes a glance at the monitor again. “Do you want to talk about the incident?”

“I don’t want to talk about it now.”

“It’ll be arranged for another time, then.”

Silence fell between them and Inaho tried to fill the void with something, and yet nothing came to him. The monitor pinged from time to time. Slaine’s hands shifted on the bed sheets. It was a suffocating silent and yet he didn’t...couldn’t utter a single word. He fingered the edge of his book, watching the clock as it ticked toward the last few minutes of his visiting time. He didn’t say anything when the nurse comes in to remind him it was time to leave, only nodding and packing up while he prepared to leave.

“They’re going to let me go outside for rehabilitation tommorow.” Slaine opened and closed his mouth for a moment. “Can you…come?”

“…Yes.”

“Tomorrow, then. Kaizuka.”

He nodded and made a note to bring an extra sweater just in case.

—On Friday, they sat next to each other and talked about Slaine’s progress and how he was coping with everything. Sometimes they talked about what was happening in their lives with people, work, weather, and everything which came to mind. Inaho told him that they planned him to occupy the higher seat and Slaine mentioned that he was making friends in the hospital. It was the first time Inaho caught himself smiling around Slaine.

—Saturday was rainy and they stayed inside. Slaine hauled out old books and groaned about how much missed any kind of new information and how Inaho was no help since he tended to filters everything in an annoying way. Inaho rolls up his sleeves told him he would help as best he could. Slaine scolded him for his few choices of words but let him continue on the commentary of the books anyway. Inaho brought back coffee and roasted chicken sandwiches for dinner.

—Sunday and Monday rolled around and Inaho only had time to drop by for lunch and asked Slaine how he was feeling. Slaine told him that he would be able to go back to the prison in a few days and Inaho was welcome to visit. After he extended the joking invitation he looked out the window and muttered that he still hadn’t forgiven him and Harklight and Lemrina would be there someday to take revenge so Inaho needed to watch his back. Inaho nodded and told him they didn’t have enough power for now but they’re welcome to try. Slaine threw a hairband at him and he left smiling with the hairband tucked away in his pocket.

—Tuesday, Inaho couldn’t make it but he called the hospital and Slaine told him he was getting out on Saturday and Inaho could pick him up around noon. They already informed him three days ago about Slaine’s release but he hummed in confirmation anyway. As an afterthought, it seemed, Slaine asked if he’d like to do lunch that day before he must went back to the prison, but made the point that it was just social.

‘You still owe me, Inaho.’

‘Can I assume it’s your way of asking me out?’

‘No! It’s not like that!’

‘I understand. See you later.’

—Wednesday was when Inaho decided to pick up a gift for Slaine, getting him a blue scarf after two hours of looking around the mall with Yuki in tow muttering excitedly about how her little brother finally found a significant other. Despite the teasing, he got what he needed and decided to clean his apartment that night in case Slaine wants to come over.…Why would he, he just… escorting him back to the prison. No side tour.

—Thursday and Friday were spent between getting lecturing texts from Yuki and having Slaine’s bag dropped off at his place. Hakkinen left him strict instructions on Friday night that Slaine only stayed for a month before he was transferred to the cottage in an island.

“This is unnecessary. He should have been stayed at the prison.”

“The higher up already approved.”

They sat facing each other, Hakkinen holding Slaine’s personal data and Inaho staring back holding the transfer approval letter and other necessary documents. There’s something strange about the two of them like this, dressed down to weekend clothes and arguing about Slaine in a civilian family restaurant.

“You better do your job and make sure he stays out of trouble.”

“I’ll do what I can.”

—When Inaho picked Slaine up on Saturday they stopped for lunch first at the same family restaurant he visited yesterday before heading to his place. They ended up sitting in the balcony and Inaho showed him Slaine Saazbaum Troyard personal document, letting him thumbed through it. Slaine showed annoyance at the documents, occasionally commenting at the inaccuracy of it, like his height was off by 2 cm and when he was 6 he didn’t visit Cambodia and instead stranded in somewhere near New Guinea with his father, getting chased by a tiger. Inaho watched as Slaine explaining one by one of his past which was listed in the documents and mentally note it. Slaine asked him if he could get another coffee. Inaho obliged, and between listening to Slaine’s rant about breach of privacy and enjoying a late dinner, it stopped feeling like an obligation and more like… friendship. Perhaps… in retrospect, that was when the spark started. The budding beginnings of a small, if uneasy friendship.

—“You need to stop smoking.”

“I’m afraid to inform you that will be difficult,” Inaho muttered, tapping his ashes into the tray and glancing over toward his new guest.

Slaine walked to the cottage balcony and leaned on the railing beside him. He furrowed his brows when seeing the ash tray and the cigarettes in his hand. Since Asseylum’s death, Inaho had picked the new habit. Slaine knew it but this was the only time the blond ever berating him.

“It’s unhealthy.”

“I’m aware.”

“You’ll catch lung cancer.”

“Hopefully not. There’s no concrete proof for the real cause of cancer, yet. In normal cell growth, small chemicals called growth factors are produced by one cell and attach to proteins called receptors on that same or nearby cells. By attaching to these receptors, the growth factors start a chemical reaction inside the cell, which causes the cell to grow and multiply. In cancer, there may be too many growth factors present, or the receptor-”

“Inaho.” Slaine cut him off.

Inaho glanced sideway at Slaine. He sighed and looked away from Slaine’s puffed up cheeks and slightly plumped lower lip. Slaine knew that look got to him and Inaho hated it.

“Don’t even -”

“Do you know why people don’t like you, Inaho?”

“I’m sure your answer will be enlightening and eye-opening for me,” Inaho said while leaning his elbows on the railing and looking to the vast sea. “But do tell.”

“You’re rude. Self-centered and spoiled. You don’t think about anyone but yourself and -”

“That’s the same thing as self-centered.”

“Shut up and let me finish. You’re always so obnoxious and you treat everyone like they’re beneath you and act as if insubordination for a better solution and gimmicks are going to get you far.”

Inaho looked over when Slaine paused and lifts the cigarette to his lips again while he waited for the end.

“You don’t know how to act like a decent human being half the time and no one should even be around you.”

“I would like to corre -”

“But… you’re not ‘UFE’s dog’ anymore, are you?”

Inaho stopped inhaling the cigarette at that, shoulder tightened while he meets Slaine’s gaze. Slaine was smiling at him, arms folded on the railing.

“You stopped being ‘UFE’s dog’ when you save me. I like… ‘Inaho’. Even if you’re still kind of an ass.”

Slaine reached over and takes his cigarette, wrinkling his nose and then putting it to his lips. Inaho watched with a tiny amused grin as Slaine choked on a puff.

“You don’t breathe it in, Slaine,” he said while taking it back. “If the higher up saw this, they’ll think I’m trying to kill you slowly.”

“Well, maybe you are!”

Inaho shrugged and looked out over the railing to watch the moon as it inches toward the horizon. It was funny how they had spent so much time together and still sometimes this all felt like some sort of scandal. Yuki would probably be saying that they were better apart if she knew, and well… Lemrina’s feelings were obvious despite their rare meeting. No matter how much they had grown and changed there was no altering the past and what it meant. What it brought…

“I probably am,” he agreed quietly while he closed his eye.

“Don’t say that...” Slaine fiddled with his fingers and shifted a bit. The moon felt like it glared at him and Inaho put off his cigarette.

—“I got you something.” Slaine said suddenly with an excited gasp and reaches for his pocket. Inaho watches while he pulled two tiny pendants, much like the ones Slaine wore but in much smaller size.

“Where did -”

“I requested it and they’re agree.”

“I never receive any report of-“

“I have my way.” Slaine smirked. “Well anyway, we have a bond, Inaho, even if I don’t want to admit it. You’re a part of my life and you’ve changed who I am.”

“Is this your method to propose me?” he teased, crushing the butt into the ashtray and turning to face him. Slaine slide the pendant to Inaho’s neck, nodding in satisfaction.

“Now you do mine.”

“This is ridiculous.”

“You’re acting like an idiot just do it,” he snapped while giving him the pendant. Inaho rolled his eye and slips it onto Slaine’s neck and in a bold move, lifted Slaine’s bangs away to kiss his forehead. Slaine stared at him in surprise, eyes wide with shock.

“Ah. I apologize. I didn’t -”

Inaho didn’t get the chance to explain himself. Slaine’s arms were around him with his lips against his own, one hand around his own and the other wound through his hair to pull him. They parted for a brief moment before Inaho closed the gap and kissed him back. That spark flared up inside Inaho’s chest and he backed Slaine up against the balcony door, to which Slaine gripped the handle to open it, letting them nearly tumble inside. Slaine pulled Inaho’s collar down and reached for the hem of his t-shirt. It’s only then that Inaho took his hands and pulls him away, pinning both wrists to the wall and his knee pressed between Slaine’s thighs. Slaine drew in a sharp breath and then bite down on his lower lip.

“Inaho…”

Inaho lowered his gaze and released one wrist to bring his fingers to the outside of Slaine’s knee where he let them glide slowly up his thigh to the edge of his shorts.

“I’m not supposed to do this. This is against the rule.”

“Since when do you follow the rule?”

“Fair point.” Inaho chuckled and kissed him again, catching Slaine’s bottom lip between his teeth and giving it a small tug. Slaine’s look of satisfaction only deepened as he rubs his hand up his back and over the old scars. Slaine’s eyes were falling shut as his fingers graze Inaho’s belt. The moonlight felt so vivid that day.

—“You need a coffee?”

“Mm. I prefer tea,” Slaine replied, yawning and cracking one eye open.

Inaho ran his gaze down the length of Slaine’s body as he leaned in to kiss his collarbone. He slides a hand over his back to cup his ass, much more intrigued by the view rather than the idea of a hot drink. Slaine gave a soft sigh and moved his hand down over his back.

“Come here.” He gripped Slaine around the waist and pulls him on top of him to straddle his hips, holding Slaine’s hips in place.

“I want you to ride me and come in less than an hour.”

“Inaho that’s really crude.” Slaine rolled his eyes and leans down to kiss him, giggling while he takes Inaho’s shirt and slides it on while hunting for his underwear.

“I really have to get going to erase the camera’s feed since they’ll check it in less than three hours, Slaine.”

Slaine leaned in to kiss him gently and smirks.

“Okay then, want to try?” Slaine said as he led him back to the bedroom.

—“Maybe I’ll run away someday,” Slaine said with a tight smile when Inaho raised the question.

“You can’t run from this place. The security around this perimeter’s probably pretty lack but the nearest island is 8 hours away by boat which will be always checked thoroughly. Even if you manage to swim to the nearest shore, which I doubt you can, you’ll be in severe condition. But if you’re really want to. I can arrange-..”

“I know, Inaho. It’s just a joke.” He raised his hand to stop Inaho from further attempt at planning Slaine’s grand escape.

Slaine’s smile was beautiful but there was some sort of hidden part which he couldn’t discern even after all this time. But he would get there. He promised himself that.

—So, does this mean we’re a thing, Inaho Kaizuka? You’re going to start calling me yours?”

“No. Just my Slaine,” he replied. Slaine rolled his eyes at that and left for the kitchen while Inaho searched the nightstand for a cigarette.…. He liked this. He liked what this had become. He found the cigarette box but then after stared at it for a few minutes discarded it in the trash bin

“I’ll cook dinner tonight, unless more UFE shit happens, okay?”

“Sure.”

—Inaho regretted those words. He really did. He thought it was their bond that allowed him to stand in the kitchen with an empty bottle of wine, looking down at the pendant on his neck - the only thing left of the person who had brought something back into his life. Inko… Calm, and all his friends… No one remembered Slaine Troyard. No records. No home. No trace of his existence except for that pendant.

Inaho clenched his first and brings it down on the table, shutting his eyes and shaking his head as if he could somehow dispel the agony sitting heavily inside his chest. What an awful existence… to remember his face and his warmth. Somewhere between the tongue and cheek - between the sheets the morning coffee and the time spent at the cottage there was forgiveness. He’d forgiven himself. And he…Had Slaine forgiven him?

What little energy left in him he used to give his time to work while he continued to look for answers. Sometimes he headed back to the cottage and sat in the garden where they’d had lunch and talked about politics and how much Hakkinen kept berating him to keep Slaine in check properly. It didn’t matter what’s in the bottle so long as it takes the pain away for a few hours, and he’s back with the cigarettes and wine.

If only Slaine knew just how deep it all hit him. Inaho spent some nights thumbing through all pictures, always stopping when he reached the ones of Slaine and brushing his fingers over the fine lines of his face, his hair, or the fabric of his clothes. Slaine felt so real in his mind - fresh like gauze being ripped off a raw wound. He wondered if he would ever forget with time. As if he ever could.

—After three years, he hadn’t stopped smoking, he had cut back significantly, though he had dropped the cheap wine in favour of sips of brandy and aged rum over dinner. It was funny to think how far things had come… How his life had been so tangled up in war and Vers and Earth and it was hard to think of himself as anyone other than the person he was now. All that aftermath lead to him be placed as vice admiral. It was nice, considering all the struggle he’d gone through in his younger years. It was nice to form plans and strategies and watched as everything unfold to his liking.

Inaho yawned and glanced at the clock. 3:00 AM. He shook his head and leaned back to observe his finished paperwork, itching for a cigarette but knowing he should go to bed soon or it would hinder his work in the morning. He sighed and stood up to prepare for the night. He glanced briefly at the moon outside his window and-

“Long time no see, Vice Admiral Kaizuka.”

And he looked at the door.


End file.
